Shoulder the burden. A chip on your shoulder. A shoulder to cry on.
There’s a reason shoulders are mentioned in so many idioms — along with the hips, shoulders provide “most of our movement capabilities,” says Rachel MacPherson, an ACE certified personal trainer. (Ever try using your arm without moving your shoulder? It’s not easy!)
Your shoulders literally get you through the day. Reaching overhead, opening that jar of pickles, picking up your kids — it all requires sturdy shoulders, MacPherson says.
But how can you target these essential muscles without a fancy gym membership? Try these 15 muscle-building exercises handpicked by MacPherson and certified personal trainer Hannah Pithers — all of which you can do in your living room with body weight, dumbbells, or resistance bands.
For these movements, you’ll need a pair of moderate-weight dumbbells or a resistance band.
Shoulder press
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a pair of dumbbells at chin height, with arms bent close against your body and palms facing in.
Press the weights up overhead, so your biceps frame your face. Hold for a second or so, then lower back to the starting position for a count of three.
Do 10 reps per set.
Lateral raise
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, with arms by your sides and palms facing in (or hold a band between your hands).
Lift your arms out to the sides (forming a T shape) until they’re parallel with the floor. Hold for a second or so, then lower back to the starting position for a count of three.
Do 10 reps per set.
Front raise
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, with palms facing your body and the weights resting on the tops of your thighs.
Keep arms straight as you lift arms to shoulder height. Hold for a second or so, then lower back to the starting position for a count of three.
Do 10 reps per set.
Upright row
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, with palms facing your body and the weights resting on the tops of your thighs.
Bend elbows and bring them up and out until the dumbbells are in front of your armpits. Hold for a second or so, then lower back to the starting position for a count of three.
Do 10 reps per set.
Single-arm external rotation
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in right hand and place left hand on your hip.
Bend right arm to 90 degrees, with palm up and forearm in front of you, parallel with the floor. Without moving your elbow, rotate your weight 45 degrees to the right. Return to the starting position for a count of three.
Do 10 reps per set.
Car driver
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell with both hands and extend your arms straight in front of you.
As you would turn a steering wheel, turn the weight to the left as far as you can, and then to the right. Make sure to keep your shoulders down. Continue for 1 minute.
Raise and pull-apart
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, with palms facing your body and the weights resting on the tops of your thighs.
Keep arms straight as you lift arms to shoulder height, then take them 90 degrees out to the sides, forming a T shape. Reverse your arms, bringing them back together and down. That’s 1 rep.
Do 10 reps per set.
Military press
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, with one foot slightly in front of the other. Hold a dumbbell in each hand.
Bring the dumbbells up to shoulder height, with palms facing away from you. Take arms straight over your shoulders, keeping core engaged and back straight. Hold for a second or so, then lower back to the starting position for a count of three.
Do 10 reps per set.
No equipment at home? No problem — these bodyweight moves can be done anywhere!
Cat-Cow
Kneel on a yoga mat, with knees under hips and hands under shoulders. Keep your back flat. Look down at the floor and keep your neck long.
Inhale and drop your belly toward the mat while lifting chin toward the ceiling. Keep shoulders away from ears and shoulder blades broad across your back.
As you exhale, round your back, tuck tailbone, and curl chin toward chest. Inhale and repeat. Continue for 10 breaths.
Walkout/inchworm
Stand with feet hip-width apart and arms by your sides. Keeping core engaged and back straight, hinge at your hips and put your palms on the floor (bend knees if needed).
Slowly and carefully walk hands forward into a high plank position, with wrists under shoulders and body in a straight line.
Hold for a moment, then walk hands back to feet to complete 1 rep. Do 10 reps per set.
Push-up
Start in a high plank position (or drop to your knees if needed). Keep hands under shoulders and your core, hamstrings and glutes strong.
Keeping neck neutral, lower your body until chest barely touches the floor. Don’t let your hips or butt drop! Draw shoulder blades back and down and elbows close to your sides.
Push back up to the starting position with a strong core. Do 10 reps per set.
Plank
Start on hands and knees. Place hands directly under shoulders and step feet back, so your body is in the straight line. Keep your neck long and look past your hands. Press hands into the floor and keep core and glutes engaged.
Hold for up to 1 minute, or as long as you can hold good form.
Side plank
Lie on your right side, with legs stacked. Prop yourself up on your elbow or hand, keeping feet and legs stacked.
Hold for up to 1 minute, or as long as you can hold good form. Repeat on the other side.
Plank shoulder tap
Start in plank position, with feet wider than shoulders. Without moving your lower body, lift right hand and tap left shoulder. Return right hand to the floor and repeat on the other side. That’s 1 rep.
Do 10 reps per set.
Plank to Down Dog
Start in plank position, with feet hip-width apart. Hinge at hips while keeping your back flat, pushing into Downward Dog. Hold for a breath, then return to plank. That’s 1 rep.
Do 10 reps per set.
Start with a warmup (think light stretching, a couple of overhead reaches, and a 30-second plank). Next, choose five or six of these exercises and perform 3 sets of each. Aim to work out your shoulders twice a week, at least a day apart.
Also, make sure you don’t schedule chest and triceps workouts the day before you work your shoulders, says MacPherson. “These exercises rely on the shoulders too much and should be performed at least 24 to 48 hours after a shoulder workout,” she explains.
If you want to build strong, round, defined shoulders, you’ll need to stick with your routine but add more weight over time, says Pithers.
“Lifting the same weights over and over won’t stimulate those muscles to change and grow,” she says. So switch things up, add weight when you need to, and get ready to rock some tank tops.
